class="post-74649 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-news"Deptford Literature Festival Exhibition: Garden of Memories

As part of the Deptford Literature Festival, Meet Me (a project from Entelechy Arts and Albany) elders had the pleasure of working with poet Laurie Bolger and artist Barbara Majek at the start of 2025.

Over six weeks the artists worked with members of Meet Me exploring and experimenting with poetry and creative collaging. With joy, mindfulness and creativity at the heart of the sessions Laurie’s writing prompts and activities led to the development of the theme Garden of Memories. Members shared their stories and memories, and the importance of food and nature emerged as a way to explore cultural experiences and build connections and community. Tuesday mornings in the Albany Café were filled with music, poetry and laughter!

For many members this was the first time they had tried or written any poetry, but over the six weeks, their confidence grew, proudly sharing poet names and their pieces of writing aloud. In response to the written pieces Barbara introduced imagery and techniques of fabric collage, mono printing and embroidery for members to transform their words and stories into visual sketches. The playful collaboration between artists, members and volunteers lead to a tapestry/quilt of elders’ stories, embracing their individual styles and responses, with everyone’s voices being represented on a textile banner. The Garden of Memories banner was displayed at Deptford Lounge.

This project exists thanks to Meet Me members Moira, Ertac, Norma B, Ibrahim, Valda, Lorraine, Rosemary, Ron, Christine, Geri, Beryl, Juno, Jeanie, Irene, Rita, Diane, Catherine J, Stanford, Fanny, Pauline, Stella, the Meet Me volunteers, and the artists Laurie and Barbara.

Garden of Memories was commissioned by Spread the Word as part of the Deptford Literature Festival in partnership with Meet Me and supported by Arts Council England. Meet Me is a partnership project between Entelechy Arts and Albany.

Garden of Memories

Poems and text from the tapestry banner – from top to bottom

Running along the seafront

In Brighton with my little nephew

Philip in 1986 on a beautiful

summers day with the gorgeous

fresh air so sweet and how

happy we were laughing together

I kept my cotton shirt from that day

for years as it smelt of that lovely

day

Laughter fills the room

My heart is in the stars

but I owe my dad

£8. I’ll jump on

my motorbike

and pay

him back one day!

On my way to buy a

cheeseburger, I saw

some people playing

skittles in the middle of the

road, stopping traffic!

It was nighttime and there was an orange star

shining down from the sky!

I got my cheeseburger and went home to play chess

and won the game with my knight!

Sea Love

Fresh Air

Place me outside in the hills

Train going some place

Fish Bar

Grapefruit

A big juicy

grapefruit

sweet and bitter

tingles my tongue

eaten

messily over

the sink

juice dripping

down my chin

I went for a walk with

my pink leopard

we saw an orange dinosaur

picking cherries

the flowers said hello

Banana

Milk

Pasta

Kitchen Paper

Drinking Tea in the garden

is a great memory, it tasted

so sweet, just like fresh air

Mushroom soup

In a big fat

bowl

my sister & me eat

pretending we are in a 5*

restaurant but always from

a tin. Yum!

Be Happy!

You are

the noodles

I need right

now

Settled Nomad

Slipping away

Sliding

Party Pauline

Music, rice, gold

dance, Meet Me

Solero

Ice Lollies

class="post-74593 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-opportunities"Share your local word-related event with us

You asked and we made it happen! At several of our Lewisham, Borough of Literature campaign meetings this year, you asked us to create a space where you can see all upcoming Lewisham literary events. As a first step to making this happen, we’ve created a highlight on our Instagram. There, we’ll save all local events that are sent to us, or that we spot in our travels on social media.

Do you have an event you want us to include? Great! There are two ways you can do so…

Are you on Instagram? Please send us your post or tag us in it and we will add it to the highlight on our homepage. We are @spreadthewordwriters.
If you are not on Instagram, please fill in our event submission form and we will post the event to our highlight. Please only use the form if you aren’t on Instagram as we are a very small team and will struggle to keep up if we suddenly receive lots of forms!

This is an ongoing opportunity. Each month we’ll make sure the Instagram highlight for local events is up to date so you can find out what’s on near you, or find an audience for your event.

class="post-74496 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-opportunities"Teach with Us: Developing Tutors Programme 2025-26

Teach with Us: Developing Tutors Programme

Spread the Word is continuing its Developing Tutors programme to offer London-based writers a paid opportunity to teach their first creative writing workshop. Following a successful run of seven workshops in 2024-25, we will be opening applications to run seven more workshops to take place from September 2025 to February 2026. Each writer will receive one-on-one support to develop their ideas and teaching skills with feedback from Spread the Word throughout the process. This programme will open for applications at 7pm on 28 May 2025 for London-based writers who meet the following criteria:

Aged 18+;
Full-time London resident;
Has had some creative work published, but not necessarily a full-length project;
Writing fiction or non-fiction prose;
Has not previously taught a creative writing workshop;
From one or more of these backgrounds underrepresented in UK publishing: Black, Asian and Global Majority; deaf and disabled, LGBTQIA+, from a lower socio-economic background, working class upbringing.

Tutors will be paid £250 for a two-hour creative writing workshop, which can take place either online or in person. This is inclusive of planning time and a follow up short evaluation. If successful, our goal is to offer further opportunities to the tutors.

How to Apply

In order to apply you will need to attend or watch a Zoom seminar run by Bobby Nayyar, Spread the Word’s programme manager, on Wednesday 28 May, 7pm-8.30pm.

The session will have BSL interpretation and will be recorded. Please sign up for it here:

Don’t worry if you cannot attend the live session. Please sign up anyway and we will send you a link to the recording. Please contact us if you have any access requirements.

Applications will open at 7pm on Wednesday 28 May 2025 and close at 1pm on Monday 23 June 2025. We aim to be in touch will all applicants by end of Tuesday 8 July.

The Submittable links to apply are here:

Written Application: https://spreadtheword.submittable.com/submit/325683/developing-tutors-2025-26-written-form

Audio or Video Application: https://spreadtheword.submittable.com/submit/325688/developing-tutors-2025-26-audio-and-video-form

If you have any questions, please contact Bobby Nayyar on [email protected].

Published: 16 April 2025

class="post-74009 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-news"Announcing the winners of the 2025 Wellcome Collection Non-Fiction Awards

“I’m still pinching myself that I’ve been selected for this programme to be honest […] As a racially-minoritised woman, the publishing world has never felt accessible to me. Thank you Wellcome and Spread the Word for breaking down some of those barriers.” – Shema Tariq, 2025 Awardee

Spread the Word and Wellcome Collection are delighted to announce the six writers who have been awarded a place on the 2025 Wellcome Collection Non-Fiction Awards development programme. The Awardees are all working on books on health and being human and will be taking part in an intensive nine-month programme to develop their ideas into full-length proposals.

Awarded writers have a breadth of experience in health and medicine from the personal to the professional. Our six writers are: an NHS resident doctor; a disabled architectural researcher, designer and educator; a researcher, writer and designer who works at the intersection of care, time, disability and the environment; an urban data scientist; a Consultant in HIV and Sexual Health; and a medical doctor turned science journalist. Their projects cover subjects from an examination of migration and the NHS, to a history of the speculum and the female body in society, and the race to uncover life saving medicines before biodiversity loss means they are lost forever.

The programme offers each writer a £2,000 bursary, a travel and access fund, mentoring with an author, five masterclasses on writing non-fiction, insight and industry days, and the opportunity to meet with agents. In addition, a public programme of masterclasses and panel events will offer a wider range of support to aspiring non-fiction writers. The first public event will be an online Q&A with science journalist and author, Angela Saini, who will detail her journey as a non-fiction writer and offer advice on developing an idea.

Each writer will also be offered one-to-one sessions with Wellcome Collection’s publishing team, research specialists and Stories editorial teams. Wellcome Collection will have first refusal on the projects.

The awarded writers and their projects are:

Ammad Butt, The International Health Service
Jordan Whitewood-Neal, Disability, Space, and Citizenship
Lindsey Allen, Fallow
Ricky Nathvani, Street Life: The Science of Health Outside Your Front Door
Shema Tariq, Speculum: a history of women’s bodies through one object
Yemisi Bokinni, Finding Medicine: Untold stories of healing plants and the scientists in search of them

Fran Barrie, Publisher at Wellcome Collection said;

“We were so impressed by the quality and breadth of ideas submitted to this year’s awards. Our fantastic final six all have something urgent to say to shift the narrative around health. We’re excited to collaborate with them all, and to support them to develop their projects into full-blown book proposals over the coming months.”

Ruth Harrison, Director of Spread the Word said;

“We’re delighted to support these six exceptional writers and continue our partnership with Wellcome Collection following a successful pilot in 2022, which has resulted in three book deals with more announcements to come. This year we’ve expanded the programme to support aspiring non-fiction writers with a public programme, which will run alongside our development work. This will begin with a free online Q&A with award-winning author Angela Saini on 30 April.”

class="post-74327 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-opportunities"We’re hiring: Programme and Communications Assistant

We’re looking for an enthusiastic person who is keen to develop their career in the arts and deepen their passion for literature, cultural democracy and supporting London’s writers.

Could that be you?

We are looking for an enthusiastic Programme and Communications Assistant. They will provide vital administrative support across our programme of activity, and work closely with the Communications Manager to support Spread the Word’s communications in print and online.

This multifaceted position requires excellent organisational, time management and communication skills. You will be able to demonstrate good practice and commitment to accessibility, diversity, equality and inclusion, as well as a passion for engaging people with words and stories.

Please download the job description for full details about the role.

The deadline is 10am on Tuesday 6 May 2025. To apply, please complete the application form by uploading the following documents:

A cover letter outlining how you meet the job description and person specification and why you would like the role (no longer than 2 sides A4);
Your CV (no longer than 2 sides A4)
Completed Equal Opportunities form. The form will be separated from your application on receipt. You can download it here.

Apply now using our online application form.

We particularly welcome applications from people who are currently underrepresented in the literature and publishing industries. If you rarely see people like yourself in the arts, for any reason, we particularly encourage you to apply to this role. If you’re really excited by the role but not certain you have 100% of the skills or experience listed, we encourage you to apply anyway. Passion and a willingness to learn are also valued attributes in this role.

If you are experiencing any issues with your application or have any questions about the role, please contact Ruth Harrison: [email protected]

Photo: MaddMann Photography, Deptford Literature Festival 2025.

class="post-74011 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-opportunities"Call for Caribbean Short Story Writers – Windrush Oral History Event

We are pleased to announce the Windrush Commissions – Mouth Mek Fi Nyam. This initiative is part of a four-part project celebrating Caribbean storytelling and heritage while supporting the campaign to make Lewisham the UK’s first Borough of Literature.

The wider project includes a series of oral history, gardening, cooking, and poetry workshops with Caribbean elders, highlighting the deep connections between migration, food, and cultural preservation.

About the opportunity

We are seeking two Caribbean short story writers to take part in an oral history event with Caribbean elders on Windrush Day, 22 June 2025, at Catford Library, 2 – 4pm. The event will focus on themes of migration, food, gardening, and cultural preservation, with elders sharing personal experiences of carrying and sustaining traditions across generations. The two chosen writers will attend the event and then use the shared stories as inspiration to create original short stories (1,500-2,500 words) that capture the richness of Caribbean heritage. The commissioned stories will be published in the Mouth Mek Fi Nyam anthology, and each writer will receive a £1,000 fee.

Timeline and fee

Submission Period: 1 – 25 April 2025
Shortlisted writers’ interviews (online): 28 April 2025
Notification of Selection: 30 April 2025
Event Date: 22 June 2025, 2– 4pm
Outcome: One short story 1,500- 2,500 words that will be published in the Mouth Mek Fi Nyam anthology
Fee: £1,000 inclusive

Who are the commissions for?

Two short story writers who are aged 18+, of Caribbean descent and currently living in London. Priority will be given to writers living in or from Lewisham.

Eligibility & Requirements:

Must be aged 18+
Must be of Caribbean heritage
Must be based in London
Must have experience in short story writing
Must be available to attend the oral history sharing event on 22 June 2025 in person

How to Apply:

Submissions open Tuesday 1 April 2025, and close at 5pm on Friday 25 April 2025. There will be an online interview on Monday 28 April, 2025 for shortlisted writers. Selected writers will be notified by Wednesday 30 April 2025.

To apply, please send:

A short bio (max 200 words)
A sample of your short fiction (max 2,000 words)
A brief statement (max 300 words) on why this project interests you and how your work aligns with the themes of migration, food, gardening, and cultural preservation
A short paragraph (max 300 words) on how you would engage with the oral history event to develop your short story

Apply now via google form.

If you would like to request any reasonable adjustments to the application process, please contact us via [email protected].

For full eligibility criteria, please see our Terms and Conditions.

This is a unique opportunity to engage with community history, honour the voices of Caribbean elders, and create literary work that continues the legacy of Windrush storytelling. We look forward to reading your submission!